The present invention relates to roller bearing devices for the mounting of support rollers in workpiece transport platforms having at least one support rail, with a longitudinal groove in the support rail and a longitudinal opening along the top surface of the support rail. In particular, the present invention relates to a roller bearing device which includes at least one roller support which is insertable into the longitudinal groove with a roller mounted in the roller support for rotation about an axis which extends perpendicular to the longitudinal groove.
Roller bearing devices having the above-mentioned general characteristics are known in the prior art and an example of such roller bearing devices may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,345, issued to Jenkner, on Apr. 19, 1988, claiming priority of German Pat. Apln. No. 3400686. The roller bearing device disclosed in these references forms a component of an assembly for the construction of workpiece transfer platforms which include a support rail having a longitudinal groove which opens upon the upper side of the support rail. By placing individual support rails next to one another, workpiece transfer platforms of desired length and breadth can be produced. In such workpiece transfer platforms, workpiece support strips may be inserted into the longitudinal grooves of the support rails, instead of roller supports, to provide a non-roller workpiece sliding platform. In order to assemble a workpiece transfer platform as described, roller supports, each rotatably supporting a roller, are inserted into the longitudinal groove of the support rails positioned adjacent one another. The rollers, supported for rotation about axes extending transversely to the longitudinal grooves, project above the top surfaces of the support rails. The upper portions of the rollers thereby define a common workpiece transfer plane.
If plate-shaped workpieces are to be transported in directions substantially perpendicular to one another with the prior art roller bearing device, then by using corresponding support rails, an additional workpiece transfer platform is provided. In this additional transfer platform, roller supports, in which the axes of the rollers extend parallel to the longitudinal grooves in the support rails, are arranged in the longitudinal grooves of the support rails arranged adjacent to one another. In such a configuration, the rollers are supported completely outside of and above the roller supports. Support rails having the just-described configuration of roller bearing devices, in the prior art, are then positioned between, and in alternating relation to, support rails having rollers supported on axes perpendicular to the longitudinal grooves of the support rails. This construction of a workpiece transfer platform makes it necessary that one of the sets of support rails be configured to be raised or lowered, in order to prevent a workpiece plate, during its transfer from one direction of travel to the other, substantially perpendicular direction, from coming into contact with the rollers of the receiving set of support rails, which could possible lead to damage to the workpiece plate, as well as the receiving workpiece transfer platform.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a roller bearing device for use in a workpiece transport platform, which workpiece transfer platform includes one or more rollers rotatably mounted upon one or more support rails, wherein a workpiece plate being transported along a particular direction on a particular set of rollers can be transferred to a substantially perpendicular transport direction, along a subsequent set of roller bearing support rails, without having to construct one of the set of support rails in such a manner as to be able to be raised or lowered.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a roller bearing devices for a workpiece transfer platform having rollers which enable the workpiece transfer platform to be converted into a workpiece sliding platform without the necessity of having to remove the roller supports from the support rails and replacing them with workpiece support strips.
These and other object of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present Specification, Claims and Drawings.